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Ask The Judge - Volume 6 -August 2007

Is the best time to breed a bitch after her show career is over, or does breeding while showing take away from her looks and over all build.

A:

There is nothing wrong with showing a bitch after she has had a litter. I do however advise that you give her a chance to recover from her pregnancy. It is common for a bitch to blow coat after having babies. Recovery time is important so that she can be shown at her best. Personnally when judging bitches I do not mind at all when it is obvious that a bitch has had babies in the past. In fact I think it is an attribute and obviously proves she is a good brood bitch.

QUESTION:

How does one become a Judge?

A:

Every country has different qualifications. I will speak for Canada. In our system, before beginning

you must prove to the Canadian Kennel Club that you have been breeding for over 10 years

have shown at least 3 dogs to their championships. You must be a member in good standing with CKC for a minimum of 10 years. You must ring steward for shows to gain experience you must judge at 'sanction' matches a minimum amount of times you must judge sweepstakes matches

you have to write a test on the anatomy of dogs and dog show rules once completed the above requirements, you are able to accept your first 'permit' assignment. In the U.S. this is called 'provisional'. you will be observed during this assignment and every other 'permit' assignment along the way. you will be required to write additional tests on breeds you are applying to judge.

QUESTION:

Would it be a better system to have 2 or 3 judges combine a score to award a major.

A:

I don't think so. The idea of majors is a very sound one. It obviously makes it much more difficult to attain a championship, which is very important and makes the Ch. more meaningful.

At any show, time is a factor and to have a dog judged by extra people would obviously add extra time to the show making it very hard to schedule. I don't think it would be practical.

QUESTION:

What is the most Bulldogs ever in a single show to be judged.

A:

The most I have seen at a show was at the Nationals in the U.S. where there are normally about 450 entered. I have had the pleasure of judging over 100 on several occasions at specialties.

QUESTION:

Why do people show their dogs? What do they win?

A:

The main purpose of a dog show is to 'show your breeding stock'. this was the original purpose of dog shows. However, through the years dog shows have been turned into competitions, some very fierce

at times. Purposes for exhibitiors to show range: attaining a championship to placing their dog high

in the standings. Dog shows are the only proving ground we have to compare our dogs.